“We’ve got a bloody good team with bloody good cricketers, but we will lose in India.” : Graeme Swann
India vs England. The much-awaited clash of the year is all set to get underway on Wednesday. While the Poms have failed to win big matches this year, especially against Pakistan and Bangladesh, Virat Kohli’s team, on the other hand, has had a brilliant Test season so far.
After some magnificent performances against the West Indies, India made light work of Kane Williamson-led New Zealand, who, before the tour, were tipped to deflate India in their own backyard. With a 3-0 sweep, the Indians not extended their winning streak at home but also became the No. 1 team in the ICC Test Rankings. As for Alastair Cook’s England, things have got a lot more difficult after their humiliating defeat against The Tigers. After being 100/0 at one stage, in pursuit of 273-runs, England lost all their wickets inside a session as Mushfiqur Rahim’s men registered their first ever Test win against them. What’s more striking was all 10 batsmen fell to spin. With Cook and Joe Root being the only senior guys in top six, England will have their task cut out when they step onto the field to face the deadly duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Will This Fact Make Any Difference?
England’s Test record against India in the past five years has been excellent. From 2011-2016 October, both teams have played 13 Tests, out of which England have won nine while India have been able to stamp their authority in only two. But come November 9, will it give England the psychological advantage over Virat Kohli-led India? Well, Cook has made only one century in the last year. Root has not flourished since his promotion to number three (except the double hundred against Pakistan). The likes of Alex Hales, Nick Compton, James Vince have all been tried and dropped. The spinners have failed to pick wickets at important junctures. Going by all this, the answer seems to present little difficulty.
Last Five Tests:
England (3) – India (1), while one was a draw.
Team Composition:
As for India, Lokesh Rahul – who injured his hamstring during the Kanpur Test against the Kiwis – will miss the first two Tests. Gautam Gambhir, who scored a fifty in the second innings of Indore Test, will, in all likelihood, get an extended run.
With Rohit Sharma being ruled out, India might think of promoting Ashwin to number six. His exploits in the West Indies present a strong case for the same. If Kohli decides to go with the 2-2 combination, Karun Nair will possibly then make his debut at Rajkot. Hardik Pandya could also come into contention in place of Umesh Yadav.
In England’s case, Gary Ballance – who looked clueless against Mehedi Hasan and Co. in the two Tests – will most likely make way for the attacking batsman Jos Buttler. Haseeb Hameed will probably have to wait for his Test debut as selectors are likely to persist with Ben Duckett, who showed a lot of promise in Bangladesh. Ben Stokes will again have to shoulder the responsibility of not only batting with the tail but also picking up wickets at crucial intervals.
With most of India batsmen being right-handed, Zafar Ansari might get the nod ahead of offie Gareth Batty. James Anderson, who is still recovering from his shoulder injury, will miss this Test.
Probable Playing XI:
India:
Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami
England:
Alastair Cook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Zafar Ansari, Stuart Broad
Stats That Matter:
–> Stuart Broad is all set to become the 14th England cricketer to play 100 Tests.
–> Rajkot will host its first ever international Test.
–> India are yet to lose a Test series under Virat Kohli’s captaincy.
Match Timings:
09:30 am IST
Note:
This’ll be the first time the Decision Review System (DRS) will be used in a Test series in India.
Who’s Said What:
“These are different conditions, but being underdogs takes a lot of pressure off us.” – Alastair Cook
“We have got to concentrate on how we approach and how we go about our cricket.” – Trevor Bayliss, England coach
“We all want the team to do well and the player who has replaced also to do well. But it’s important that we keep all of them in the loop.” Anil Kumble – India coach.
